European U17 Championships: Can Hungarian boys continue golden streak?

The European U17 Championship for girls in Manisa ended two days ago, with Hungary taking the title.

However, the water polo festivities in this Turkish city are not over yet.

Tomorrow, the European U17 Championships for boys will commence in the same pool where the Hungarian girls emerged victorious.

2023 European U17 Men’s Championships, Preview

The competition format follows the standard system used since this year in all continental championships organized by LEN.

Eight teams are in Division 1 (Groups A and B), and eight are in Division 2 (Groups C and D). The winners and the 2^nd-placed teams from groups A and B will qualify directly for the quarterfinals. The 3^rd-placed and 4th-placed teams in groups of Division 1 will face the winners and the 2nd-placed teams in groups C and D in the crossover round (3A – 2C, 3B – 2D, 4A – 1C 4B – 1D).

It’s always challenging to single out the favorites in an age-group tournament. However, the results in the past two years indicate that Hungary is the most serious contender for the gold medal.

The generation of Hungarian players who were born in 2006 and later won gold medals in its first two participations in the major competitions. In 2021, the Hungarians became the champions at the European U15 Championships in Loule. Last year, they triumphed at the first-ever World U16 Championships in Volos.

The Hungarians were unbeaten in both tournaments. Only one of their matches ended in a draw. It was a semifinal encounter between Hungary and Serbia in Volos last year. Hungary qualified for the final after a penalty shootout. Afterward, the Hungarians defeated Greece in a thrilling final (11:10). Serbia won bronze ahead of Montenegro.

I The first-ever European Youth Men’s Water Polo Championship was held in 1983. Until 2007, the U18 teams participated in the Championships. Since 2008, players under 17 have competed at the Championships.

The Hungarian 17-year-old players are seeking their third gold. At the same time, they can put a golden end to a very successful summer of Hungarian male water polo. The national teams of this country won gold medals at three FINA and LEN competitions this summer: at the World U20 and World Senior Championships in Otopeni and Fukuoka, respectively, and the European U15 Champs in Podgorica. Tomorrow, Hungary will play against Italy in the final of the University Games in Chengdu.

Serbia arrives in Manisa as the reigning champion. The Serbs triumphed in Malta two years ago, beating Greece in the final. Of course, none of the players who won the title in 2021 isn’t on the roster in Manisa. Only the head coach is unchanged – Milos Korolija. Serbia is, without any doubt, a medal contender.

Actually, each team that will play in Division 1 has the right to believe it can win a medal. Besides the “European Big Seven”, the Netherlands is in Division 1. The Dutch aren’t the underdogs, either, especially in the age-group competitions. In Malta two years ago, they surprised by winning 7th place. Last year they were very close to a medal at the World U18 Championships in Belgrade. The Netherlands had an 11:10 lead at the finish of the bronze-medal match against Spain, but the Spaniards recorded a 13:11 victory. But the Dutch 2006 generation is unknown to its rivals. The Netherlands participated neither in the Europeans in Loule nor the Worlds in Volos.

The primary goal of each team that will play in Division 2 is to reach the quarterfinals and secure its nation a spot in Division 1 in the next edition of the Championships.

Based on the results at the 2021 European U15 Championships and the 2022 World U16 Championships, the best team in Division 2 is host Turkey, which won 8th place both in Loule and Volos, but the other teams have the same aspirations and target the quarterfinals. At first sight, there shouldn’t be many one-sided contests.

Day 1, schedule

DIVISION 1

Group A: Spain – Croatia (18:00), Hungary – Montenegro (19:30).
Group B: Greece – Netherlands (13:30), Serbia – Italy (16:30)

DIVISION 2

Group C: France – Poland (09:00), Romania – Turkey (21:00)
Group D: Georgia – Ukraine (10:30), Malta – Germany (12:00)

All times are local (CET +1)

All winners

European U18 Championships
1983 (Istanbul, Turkey): Hungary
1985 (La Valetta, Malta): USSR
1987 (Athens, Greece): Yugoslavia
1989 (Istanbul, Turkey): Hungary
1991: not held
1993 (Veenendaal, Netherlands): Hungary
1995 (Esslingen, Germany): Yugoslavia
1997 (Maribor, Slovenia): Hungary
1999 (Sofia, Bulgaria): Croatia
2001 (Hagen, Germany): Hungary
2003 (Istanbul, Turkey): Serbia and Montenegro
2005 (Sofia, Bulgaria): Serbia and Montenegro
2007 (Gzira, Malta): Serbia

European U17 Championships
2008 (Belgrade, Serbia): Hungary
2010 (Stuttgart, Germany): Italy
2011 (Rijeka, Croatia): Croatia
2013 (Gzira, Malta): Montenegro
2015 (Baku, Azerbaijan): Serbia
2017 (Gzira, Malta): Montenegro
2019 (Tbilisi, Georgia): Italy
2021 (Gzira, Malta): Serbia

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